Automatic cut-off and cut-in valve



pri 7, 1925,

E. C. WILLS AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF AND CUT IN VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb, 29 1924 WITNESSES IN VEN ATOR i c, wals.

ATTORNEYS April 7, 1925; 1,532,615 y E. c. wlLLs AUTMATIC CUT-OFF AND cuT-1N VALVE Filed Feb, 29. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- 0 1N VENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS Patenten .apa v, reas,

stars tenacia nnwnv ooornn, wrnns, or nass; nennen, New JERSEY.

UTOMATC CUT-OFF AND CUT-IN VALVE.'

Application ledebruary 29, 1924. Serial No. 696,012.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, EDWIN C. Wines, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Automatic Cut-0d and Cut-ln Valves, of which the following is a specification. v

My present invention relates generally to valves,'and more particularly to automatic cut-0E valves such as used in connection with gas lines for the purpose of automatically cutting DE the supply of gas in case of lire and turn on or cut in valves such as used in sprinkler systems. Various devices have already been proposed with this object in view, but have either been lacking in the effectiveness of their operation or have embodied other disadvantages such for instance as diculty of inspection, curtailing their usefulness at least to some extent.

Une of the known types of cut-ofi' valves which has attained some considerable adoption embodies a ball yvalve member normally held oli' of its seat by means of a pin extending through the seat, the pin being formed of a fusible metal so that in the presence of suiiicient heat its melting permits the ball to drop by gravity onto the seat and shut oli the gas supply. It is a well known fact, however, that when tire occurs gas as well as other pipes lose their supports, and freuently are either bent or dropped to in- ;llined positions wherein the ball when it does fall, fails to find a proper seat and thus fails to function as intended.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of an automatic gas cut-off valve which will avoid the known disadvantages of other valves, which will prevent leakage of 'gas in the normal position of the parts, which provides for ready inspection from time to time, and which will instantly act upon the melting ofl a fusible element to force the valve member into eEective engagement witlnits seat for the purpose of cutting oill the gas supply.

In the accompanying drawin which illustrates my present invention an forms a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a valve constructed in accordano with my invention,

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of the valve and its stem with the several parts relatively arranged as in practice in connecybody of my improved valve is indicated at 10, having internally threaded opposite ends 11 and 12 for connection with sections of a gas line and provided with an intermediate internal diaphragm 13, apertured as at 14: and provided with a horizontally disposed and upwardly presented valve seat 15 around its opening for the reception of a vertically shiftable valve member 16 thereon to cut od theow of gas through the body. its opening 14 the diaphragm 13 has a rib 17, apertured at the center of the opening to form a loose guide for a pin 18 depending axially from the valve member 16.

The valve member 16 has upper and lower beveled valve faces 19 and 20, the latter Across adapted to cooperate with the valve seat 15, l,

and the former adapted to cooperate upon upward movement of the valve member 16 with a valve seat 21 formed within a ca 22, which is threaded in connection' Witii an upper bore of the body 10 above its valve .seat 15, and which in turn supports an upright bonnet 23. n

Through the cap 22 is an axial opening for the reception of a valve stem 24, the upper end of which projects loosely through a central bearing '25 at the upper-end of the bonnet 23 and the lower ball end 26 of which is held withinan upper cavity of the valve member 16 by means of a split bushing 27 threaded into said valve member.

Threaded into the upper end of the axial opening of the cap 22 1s a bushing 28 sursurface rms a ilat, even, uniform seat for rounding the valve stem 24,-'whose upper' the lower end of a fusible element 29, it V,being noted that the upper surface of the cap 22 slopes abruptly away from its central portion immediately around the bushing 28,

lso that the material of which the fusible during the seating of valve member 16 upon its lower main seat 15.

It is preferable that the fusible element 29 be formed as particularly shown in Figure 2, with a pair of spaced fiat rings 30 connected by a series of circumferentially spaced arms 31, so as to give this fusible element a large seating capacity at both ends thereof and still admit of ready circulation therethrough so as to insure its fusing at the desired temperature. Above the fusible element 29, whose 'cylindrical body surrounds the valve stem 24, is disposed a nut 32 upon which is disposed a washer 33, the last mentioned washer forming an abutment for the lower end of a valveactuating spring 34 coiled around the upper portion of the valve stem within the bonnet 23, and whose upper end engages the bonnet around the upper valve. stem bearing 25. r

In order to cooperate with the nut 32 the valve stem 24 is threaded as at 35, intermediate its ends, and the nut engaging these threads thus provides effective means for shifting the valve stem 24 upwardly in the first instance so as to draw the valve member 16 vertically into engagement with the upper oris'upplemental seat 19. To do this it is simply necessary'to rotate the nut 32, the latter having bearing upon the cap 22, through the fusible element 29 and bushing 28, and it is obvious that when upon 'installation of the valve as a whole, the valve member is thus shifted vertically into engagement with its supplemental seat 21, all danger of leakage of gas upwardly around the valve stem 24 is avoided.

In operation under excessive heat, the fus- ,f

ible element 29 melts, its material flowing outwardly and downwardly upon the cap 22, so that the valve stem is then forced downwardly by the spring 34 and the valve member 16 connected to and shiftable with the valve stem is thus moved in a straight and guided line on to the main valve seat 15 so as to e'ectively cut 0H the flow of gas through the valve body 10.

lt is to be noted morever, that' the above actlon takes plaice irrespective of the particular position of the valve as a whole, inasniuch as the valve member is eectively guided in its movement and will find its way` directly to an even uniform and eEective contact with the main valve seat.

inesatte lt is alsoto be noted that due to the location of the fusible element and the valve stem actuating parts, including the nut 32 and valve actuating spring 34 immediately above the cap 22 andthe cutting away of the lower side portions of the bonnet 23 as indicated at 36 above the cap, provision is made for t-he ready, efficient inspection of the working parts of the valve whose condition it is important to check from time to time.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 it is plain that my invention may be applied with equal facility to a cut-in or turn-on valve of which the casing 10a is shown of a construction identical with that of thevalve casing 10 of Figs. l and 2. Valve member 16a is also shown of the same construction as the valve member 16 although in the present instance this valve in its normal position seats on the main seat 15a below the supplemental seat 2l, the valve in use being arranged so that the fluid, for instance, water, flows in the direction of the arrow. In this construction moreover, the valve actuating spring 34a is coiled around the valvestem 24a and compressed between the upper end of the bushing 28a anda washer 33a below the nut 32a. This nut engages a threaded portion 35a of the stem 24:l adjacent to the upper end of the stem, the nut in this instance bearing upwardly against the lower ring of the fusible element 29a which in turn seats and bears upwardly against the lower flat surface presented by the upper bearing 2571L of the bonnet 23,

In addition to its lower side cut-out portions 36Es the bonnet 23a has upper side cutout portions 37a, it being thus obvious that the adjusting nut fusible element and the adjacent parts m-ay be inspected from time to time as readlly as this can be accomplished in connection with the form of construction shown in Figs. l and 2, for the,

purpose hereinbefore outlined.

lt is 'also to be noted that my invention proposes means for holding the parts in their actuated position after collapse lof the fusible element and the roper and intended action of the springs. lin one instance the means justv described will operate to secure the main valve .in closed position cutting off the supply of gas, against accidental displacement from lts mainseat within the .valve body and in the other case will operate to lock the valve against its supplemental seat and inopen position permitting the low of fluid through the valve body. For this purpose l propose that the bonnet in each instance shall be provided around its upper4 valve stem bearing with anf'extemal housin or cap 38, open at one side and through w ich the, valvev stem passes, said cap or housing being adapted to receive va spring lock washer 39 having s `vcient tension to spring into an annular groove 40 of the valve stem. In the cut-off valve of Figures l and 2 the annular groove 40 of the valvefstem is nory mally positioned above the cap 38 so as to receive the lock washer 89 when'the valve 16 descends in the proper contemplated-action of the parts upon the main valve seat l5 and in the case of the cut-in valve of Figures 3 and 4, the groove 40 of the valve stem will be positioned below the cap or housing 38 in the normal position of the parts soas t0 receive the lock washer 39 when in the contemplated action of the parts the valve loel moves upwardly against its supplemental seat 21a.

It is apparent from the foregoing that my improved construction lends itself to just as ready use for one purpose as it does for the other, that is, it is adapted simply by 'virtueof certain slight rearrangement of some of the parts to function with equal facility as aout-in valve as it does when used as a cut-out valve. In its use as a cutout valve'it i's especially adapted as a gas control valve (and in itsvuse as a vcut-in or turn-on, valve'it is especially applicable to sprinkler connections used in sprinkler systems for the prevention of fires.

1t is also apparent that with either form of U0 arrangement, my improved valve construction avoids the disadvantages of known valves of the automatic type now in use, and presents a highly efficient device as well as a simple economical structure.

I cla-im: Y.

1. An automatic cut-oftl valve including a body having a main valve seat, a cap threaded in connection withwthe valve body having a valve seat spaced from and opposed to the main valve seat, a valve member disposed between said seats and guided in Vits movement thereto having valve surfaces for engagement with the seats, said cap having a central bore, a valve stem extending through said bore and vertically above the cap, a bushing around the stem within the cap presenting an upper flat face yabove the cap, a fusible element seated on the bushing, a nut threaded on the valve stem above the said fusible element whereby the valve stem is normally held so as to seat the valve member against the ca seat, a bonnet rising from the cap aroun the valve stem and having a bearing for said stem, said bonnet having lower side cut-out portions exposing the fusible element and said nut for inspection, and a valve actuating spring around the stem compressed between the said nut and the upper end of the bonnet and also to be seen through the cut-'out portions of the bonnet. A`

- 2. An automatic cut-off valve including a body having va main valve seat, av cap threaded in connection with-,the valve body havingeI valve seat spaced from and opposed to the main valve seat, a valve mem-A ber disposed between said seats and guided in `its movement thereto having valve surfaces for engagement with the seats, said cap having a central bore, a valve stem extending through said bore and vertically above the cap` a bushing around the stem within the cap presenting an upper Hat face above the cap, a fusible element seated on the bushing. a nut threaded on the valve stern above the said fusible element whereby the valve stem is normally held so as to seat the valve member'against the cap seat. a bonnet rising from the cap around the valve stem and having a bearing for said stem, said bonnet having lower side cut-out portions exposing'the fusible element and said nut for inspection, a valve actuating spring around the stem compressed between the said nut and the upper end of the bonnet and also to be seen through the cut-out portions lof the bonnet. said valve stem having a lower angularly shiftable connection with the upper portion of the valve member, as described. w

3. AA cut-ofi'I valve including a valve body having vertically spaced valve seats, a valve member guided therein and shiftable between the said seats, a valve stem extending through the portion of the body adjacent to one of the seats and having connection with the adjacent side of the valve member, a fusible element around the valve lstem exteriorly of t-he body, a valve stem guide in connection with the body forming a Hat seat for one end of the fusible member, a nut against theother end of the fusiblemember having a threaded connection with the valve stem, a bonnet extending from the valve body, having a guide for the outer portion of the valve stem and having out-away portions at its opposite sides adjacent to the valve body, and a spring around the valve stem compressed between the said nut and a portion of the said bonnet, and exposed to view with the said nut and the fusible element through the cut-away portions of the bonnet. t

4. An automatic valve including a valve body having spaced opposing valve seats, a valve member'shiftable between and on to said seats, a valve stem extending from one side of the valve member exteriorlyof the body, a spring in connection with the said stem for shifting the valve on to one of said seats, a member threaded on the valve stem and rotatable to force the valve against the means for locking thev valve against the first mentioned seat after acti/lation in order to prevent accident-al displacement thereof.

5. An automatic Valve including a Valve )member having spaced valve faces, spaced valve seats between which said member is shiftable, means for normally holding said member in engagement with one of said seats including a fusible element, collapse of '10 which frees the valve member, a spring for forcing the valve when free onto the other seat7 and means to lock the valve after actuation in connection with its last mentioned seat, including an annularly grooved stem projecting from the valve and a spring engaging the stemA and adapted to project into the groove of the stem when the latter is moved opposite to the Washer.

EDWIN COOPER WILLS. 

